random Archives - Page 4 of 4

08/02/201215/04/2017

Random ramblings

This is progress — from being an obsessivemom to a ‘versatile blogger’… Thanks Aparna for nominating me, you pretty much made my day. I still feel the award is a bit of an euphemism for a “confused blogger”. But who cares.. I like awards.

1. Though generally not a superstitious person I can’t resist doing “one for sorrow, two for joy” when I see mynahs (at least I think that brown bird with yellow legs and beak is a mynah).

2. I hate eating alone. If there’s no one around to talk to I’ll either switch on the television (completely suicidal for my fitness routine) or grab a book.

3. I have a thing for round numbers. If I’m exercising I need to do 15 minutes or 100 calories or 3 kms. If my time ends at say..2.7kms.. the 0.3 will torment me till I get back on the treadmill and finish it even if it takes just two minutes, making people wonder what I was doing getting on and off.

4. I could spend my life in sneakers. A corollary to that one : I’m partial to informal dos where I can go in sneakers. I’m so not good at formal dressing up even though I love to see others all dressed up.

5. I’m a sucker for happy endings and if it’s not happy, like the great SRK said, I like to believe, that “picture abhi baki hai mere dost.”

6. I love reading, writing, exercising, watching films, gardening, crafting, cooking, scrapbooking among a host of other things, which is why I’m constantly running short of time.

7. I’m a ‘schedule’ person and a planner to boot. Unplanned things get to me… unannounced guests, unplanned delays, upset schedules, irregular mealtimes, odd sleeping hours, late baths. Gosh! I sound stuck up, isn’t it? All I can say is that I’ve improved since the twins came along. I plan all I want they do what they want. I’m definitely planning on getting more spontaneous.

That’s it. Take it up people… would love to know more about all of you who drop by.

12/12/201115/04/2017

That’s the way I like it

Isn’t it strange how we get used to things? When I first started my post-dinner walks in this new city I used to miss the vibrancy of Mumbai nights. In Mumbai our society had plenty of ‘late-nighters’. When I would come down at ten there would be scores of families complete with kids, out for a walk or to get some ice cream or to catch a late night coffee. I loved the happy shouts of the kids, the dads playing with them, the moms looking on relaxed.

Here our society is full of ex-army men, mostly senior citizens. By 9 the gardens are almost empty.. by 9.30 everyone’s gone. I freaked out a bit when I started my walks with just the guards looking on.

Apparently I got used to it. I didn’t realise when I stopped worrying about being alone, when I started revelling in the peace and quiet, when I started tapping my fingers and nodding away to the tune in my headphones, when I started lip-syncing the songs silently (not discounting the probability of singing aloud too). With just the guards looking on morosely, I came to think of it as my personal walking area (presumptuous, I know).

Then the other night I saw a family walking towards me and I was taken aback. I stopped short mid song and wondered what they were doing down so late. Of course they were just taking a walk like me. Yet, I disliked the ‘intrusion’. I disliked the kid’s shout and wondered why he wasn’t in bed on a weeknight (I know that’s weird but that’s what I did think). I stopped my happy lip syncing and walked in a self conscious silence waiting to cross them at each round.

Since that day the family’s been down occasionally and I’m getting used to their presence. It’s funny .. this getting used to business. Funny how we get used to situations, people and places… at the gym I have a favourite treadmill, a favourite cross trainer, a favourite locker, a favourite place where I stand for my aerobics. And strangely enough I find I have the same people around me during the sessions… so apparently others too have these preferences.

Strange na how we get used to things for no apparent reason.. We have fixed places at the dining table, fixed sides of the bed, the kids have preferred places in their school bus too… Strange, isn’t it.. these inexplicable preferences?

28/07/201115/04/2017

Have you ‘bin’ a good girl?

The twins are five and are still not reading. And so these days I’m sitting down with them going over myriad lists of words.. ‘at’ words, ‘et’ words, ‘in’ words and on and on. Each time they recognise a word they get all excited and try to form sentences with rather interesting results. Sample this..

‘in’ words with Naisha

Bin – I’ve ‘bin’ a good girl

Fin – like in Dol’fin’?

Sin – Yes I know this… Naisha ‘Sin’

While on the English language.. this one’s my favourite… In Hrit’s words.. I’m the ‘pickuping’ man… but only when he finds time from ‘cleanuping’ his room.

15/01/201115/04/2017

This and that

For a long time Hrit has been stuck on the idea of becoming a ‘bus driver’ even while I have been trying to broaden his horizons. Finally he was ready to reconsider. “Mama,” said he, “I think I will be a tattoo man. You must get me that big book with lots of tattoo designs. Then I will get to go to many birthdays I will make tattoos.”

This too shall pass, thought I and it did.

Yesterday he announced, “I want to be a soldier.” Finally something sensible. He went around asking, “What do I have to do to become a soldier?” “Eat well and exercise well,” advised The Husband from behind the newspaper. So now he’s practicing pushups as he has seen in Chota Bheem. Counting begins at 21.

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A spider was spotted the other day. I was made to put everything on hold and called to admire the insect. It was a miniscule specimen hardly worthy of admiration (after the huge mud-coloured ones we’ve lived with and learnt to get used to in our house in old Lucknow). Five minutes after I went back to the kitchen the son followed with an update. “Mama Naisha picked up the spider and flushed it away.” I was almost about to applaud… (Forgive me Gandhi ji but I really am relieved my daughter isn’t always the damsel in distress) the son added, “Now it’s family will cry no”. That made me bite back my applause and condole the sad demise.

They never cease to surprise me, these two.

In other news….

The daughter wants to shave off her hair because ‘after that it will grow very fast’.

and the son has learnt to laugh with his hand on his mouth in the most ladylike fashion.

Overheard

The Husband and the daughter having a discussion..

TH: Don’t you think it’s time for Shanti to go to school? (For the less informed Shanti is my two year old grand daughter). Where should we put her LFS or Vibgyor?

TD: Papa she’s a baby she’ll go to TreeHouse first.